Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
“No,” I whispered.
He cupped my face as his gaze seemed to sink into me. As if he were trying to see all my thoughts. Find my darkest secrets. “Not even a little?”
I shook my head, but remained silent.
“I’d kill anyone who hurt you.”
I knew this already, and as horrifying as it sounded, my body seemed to like it. A little too much.
“Anyone who touched you,” he added.
I considered asking for clarification on that one and decided against it. I might not want to hear the answer to it. Accepting who King was and loving him anyway was something I had already worked through. Seemed I couldn’t stop loving him. Even if he did things like pulling a gun on someone for letting me wear their hoodie.
“I have to leave you this weekend. I don’t want to.”
Even as he said it, I already knew where he was going. It was impossible to live here and not know that the Kentucky Derby was coming up.
“I want you to stay with Maeme.”
I nodded, not wanting to speak. I didn’t want him to hear the disappointment in my voice. He was going to be with Scotlin. Thinking about it and her red lipstick put a damper on the joy I’d been feeling.
“When will you leave?” I asked.
He looked as unhappy about it as I felt. That helped a little. He didn’t want Scotlin. I might not trust him completely because there would always be things he couldn’t tell me. But it was hard not to believe him when he said he didn’t want her. She’d hurt him in the past. That was something that would always stand between them.
“Thursday,” he replied.
“And you’ll be back Sunday?” I asked, needing to prepare myself for his absence.
“Monday.”
I hadn’t realized it would be that long. My heart sank even more. It wasn’t fair to make him feel bad about it. This was his world. His job. It wasn’t his fault that a gang was looking for me and I had to stay hidden. He hadn’t been the one to put me in danger. Hill had.
“I’ll read a lot of books,” I told him, trying my best to smile. “I won’t even notice you’re gone.”
A grin tugged at his lips. “Don’t go that far. I can’t shoot a library for taking my place. And if I burned it down, Maeme would never let me have her banana pudding again.”
The laugh that came from me eased some of the ache. The corners of his eyes crinkled as his smile spread across his handsome face. The blue of his irises seemed brighter.
“I’ll miss you, I promise,” I assured him.
His grip on me tightened. “I wouldn’t go if I didn’t have to. They aren’t giving me a choice.”
“I know.”
“It’ll be over soon, I swear.”
I nodded. I hoped so. I was ready to be rid of Scotlin May.
King had eaten breakfast at Maeme’s with me, then left to go handle business—whatever that was today. He never shared the details, and that was part of his life I realized I had no choice but to accept. Once he was gone, I visited with Maeme for a while, then escaped to her library to find books for this weekend and get my mind off the details I didn’t know that were starting to torture me. Like where King was going to sleep. Would he be sharing a room with Scotlin? I knew he wouldn’t share a bed, but how far would he go to sell this engagement?
For the first time in my life, books didn’t distract me. Figured when I needed it the most, it wasn’t strong enough. I was being haunted by thoughts of what could happen with King and Scotlin. The idea of her touching him made me want to curl up and weep. In fact, I had found myself tearing up several times. I didn’t cry often. It was something I had fought against so hard that I wondered if I had broken that reaction inside me. At least until today.
Wiping at the current tear rolling down my face, I growled, frustrated with myself. I was in a room full of books, and I was thinking about stuff I had no control over. I’d done this to myself. Falling in love with King Salazar was the most reckless, insane, confusing thing I had ever done. Yet I wouldn’t change it.
The door opened behind me, and I turned to see Maeme. She smiled at me, but I saw the concern in her eyes. Stupid tears. I wanted to go back to not being able to cry.
“Dr. Drew is here,” she told me.
I frowned. “Why? His last visit, he said my ribs were fine.”
“Your birth control. He said according to the dates you gave him, it was time for your next one.”
Oh. I hadn’t even thought about that. Thank God he had.